Charles Melanson is living life to the fullest

He absolutely loves to travel. Every winter he chooses one country and tours it over the course of a 4-6 week period. “I’m not done travelling yet,” he says with enthusiasm in his voice.

After he retired, Charles focused on his passion for serving in the health services sector. “After 27 months of leisure and getting bored, I got sick of doing nothing. I’m now actively involved as a volunteer in our community.”

He said, “I don’t need to earn more money… Now I’ve decided to give back to society. I want to share my experience, strength and hope as a volunteer in the health services field. Over the years, I’ve been enriched more by what I’ve given to people as a volunteer than from what I’ve gotten back from working in my career.”

As he volunteers, Charles encourages people he meets by saying, “Each one of us has choices to make in life as to our legacy and taking care of our families.” He says, “This can give you peace of mind… to use your resources and life treasures such as ideas, methods and earnings to improve your own life and the lives of others.”

Charles doesn’t only give these suggestions to others… he also lives it.

He feels very passionate about helping to save and restore sight in developing countries. So, he has included a gift in his Will to cbm.

He said, “My heirs know my heart is for giving vision to the world’s poorest people.”

Why did he choose cbm? Because he stood by family members and his close friend as they faced eye surgery after eye surgery. He knows how hard it can be. He said, “Sometimes the surgeries were successful, but sometimes they weren’t.”

He asks himself, “How can people take their good vision for granted?”

When he thought about how much harder it is for people with vision problems in poor countries, he said, “It just breaks my heart to think of the poorest people in those countries who need surgery to save their sight or restore their sight… and they just don’t have anything even close to what we have here in Canada. Maybe the elite can afford to pay for it in poor countries, but mostly people simply don’t have the means.”

In addition to encouraging people he meets to set up their Wills, Charles reminds them, “… to live each day happy and fulfilled.”

Thank you, Charles, for reminding us how important it is to live life to the fullest while thinking of others who are less fortunate. And for reminding all of us to think about what our final legacy will be.